Flourishing in the Shadows
by Siriharrytroll
Summary: Tortured by the Marauders and his abusive family, young Severus Snape turns to a magical diary he finds under the floorboards of his dorm room. Through long talks with Tom Riddle, he grows from a scared child to a dangerous Death Eater.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**- **The End of 4th Year**

Severus Snape ran through the halls, books pouring from his arms. Frantically, he looked for a staircase that wasn't currently moving- he needed to get to the library as quickly as possible to return the books he had borrowed. Professor McGonagall had been nice enough to write him a note for books from the Restricted Section, but they were only on a 1-week loan that would expire in 5 minutes! And one didn't want to turn the books in late. Rumor was, they became vicious if kept past their allotted time. He started up the stairs when he saw a familiar sight- the four people he hated most in the world- standing before him.

"Oh, not today, please! I need to return these books and-" he begged, hoping they could at least leave him alone until he got to the library.

"No such luck, Snivellus. This looks like the perfect time to try out Sirius's new invention" replied James, a sadistic smirk on his face.

"Please, I need to get to the library now! I only have 4 minutes until-"

But before he could finish his sentence, Sirius blew a white powder into Severus's pale face. A loud "Pop!" resounded through the stairwell and his face became a bright pink color. He stared cross-eyed as a pink horn spiraled from his forehead.

"It worked!" shouted Peter. "I knew it would work! Let's try another one!"

"The library…" whispered Severus, trying to fight back tears. He decided that it would be better to face the wrath of the books than another one of Black's inventions, so he ran in the opposite direction. He chose to go to the infirmary. By now, the books were snapping at his arms and chest, making small cuts all over him and drawing blood. The way he figured it, there were two ways he could get this practical joke cured- he could grovel to Black for an antidote, or he could get a nurse to fix it. The decision came easily to Severus- he tried to avoid Black and Potter as much as possible. When he finally arrived at the infirmary, he collapsed from the blood loss and the exhaustion of running. When he awoke, he was healed, but the emotional scars from the harassment couldn't be healed by a simple potion or spell.

xXxXxXxXx

"I'm glad you're awake, Severus." Said the nurse, in a soft, comforting voice.

"Did someone return my books?" murmured Severus, only half-conscious.

"I'd think you would be a little more worried about that horn that was on your face. How do you keep getting yourself into these predicaments?" She asked.

"People aren't very nice sometimes." He said, turning onto his side, hoping to be able to go back to sleep for a while.

"I should say not, if they're doing this to you. Oh, what interesting books these are- Moste Potente Potions, Advanced Hexes for the Busy and Vexed, Volume 6… Magick Most Evile. What's a fourth-year doing reading these books?" She inquired, a shocked look on her face.

"I love reading, learning, escaping from the world… Do you think I could please sleep a bit more? And could someone please return those books?" he said groggily.

"Absolutely. I'll let you be, and I'll take these to the library right away. Take care of yourself."

"Thanks" He whispered, and within minutes he was back asleep. He found great solace in sleep as well as the hospital wing- both meant not having to worry about Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew. He felt lucky that he wouldn't have to deal with them much longer this year- it was the second to last day of school. Unfortunately, the summer coming meant that he would have to go home to his family, but he was sure that anything that could happen at home would be better than the torture he endured here. He was sure that they had changed since they hadn't seen him in a year. Maybe they would even be so happy to see him that they would love him. He dreamed of nothingness, and it was the happiest he had been all week.

xXxXxXxXx

Severus woke up, and noticed a small wrapped box at the foot of his bed. Attached was a small card, reading "_We hope you feel better soon! Your friend, James_".

"It's a trick. I'm sure it's a trick." He mumbled to himself.

He ducked behind the bed and drew his wand. With one hand protecting his face, he waved his wand at the box, whispering "Evanesco!". The box erupted in a geyser of dark blue ink, and then disappeared- leaving the ink everywhere. Severus turned his eyes to the floor and silently left the hospital wing.

As he walked to his dormitory, he made a mental checklist of all of the things that he would need to do before boarding the Hogwarts Express. His possessions had been packed for weeks in anticipation of this wonderful day. Only his everyday items were out, and he quickly stuffed them into his trunk. He didn't have anyone to say goodbye to, so he made his way to the platform and boarded the train. Locked in his small compartment, he smiled in isolation all the way to Platform 9¾.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**- **The Summer After 4th Year**

When Severus left the train, he saw many happy parents waving to their sons and daughters. He scanned the crowd for his own and was able to spot them quickly- a sullen duo that seemed equally likely to die on the spot as to kill each other. Severus sighed, the harsh realization that things were not going to improve hitting him like a bludger. He lugged his trunk to them and the three silently walked to their car.

"Failing your classes, are you?" asked Tobias Snape once they were out of the parking lot.

"N-no, actually I'm doing rather well-" Severus responded, a quaver in his voice.

"But none of them are important classes, all easy-O classes, I'm sure."

"Actually, I'm in the most challenging classes offered…"

But he stopped, knowing it was useless to continue- he was being ignored anyway. They arrived at their small house and Severus lugged his trunk up to his bedroom. It comforted him to see that his room was untouched, his half-full bookshelves dusty from neglect during the past year, his bed still unkempt from the last time he had slept in it. He unpacked his books first, filling his bookshelves with the ones he could afford to have his parents see if they chose to come in, and storing the rest in a box under his bed. Even his magical mother would probably not be ecstatic about him reading "Curses for Torture and Torment." He ran the corner of his cloak across the shelves, cleaning off the dusty tomes. In spite of the fact that the rest of his room was a mess, he wanted his books to be pristine.

He sank into his bed and heard the typical sounds of the pre-dinner arguments- his father screaming, pots clattering, his mother crying. It exhausted him just hearing his parents fighting, and it seemed like he had just dozed off when his door flung open with a loud crash. He woke with a start as a book struck him on the shoulder.

"Get to dinner, you ingrate!" screamed Tobias "And stop leaving your stupid magical books all over the bloody house!"

"Don't yell at the boy, he just got home." Said Eileen, caressing his shoulder.

"You know I'm not in a good mood, Eileen! Don't upset me more. It's enough that we have to have this rat in our house for the summer!"

He flung her off of him, and she hit into the wall. The smirking portrait of Salazar Slytherin above her threw his hands out for balance.

"Just get to dinner, the both of you!"

xXxXxXxXx

"I don't even know why we send you to this fancy magic school. You should be learning real things. And you should be getting your nose out of those stupid books!"

Severus continued eating his bland dinner, trying to think of something, anything other than what was happening. He had such high hopes about being back at home while he was at Hogwarts, but now all he could think of was getting away.

"Are you listening to me? Listen when I talk to you! I've never seen such an insolent boy!"

"May I be excused?" Severus asked.

"Fine. Don't talk to me. I don't want to see you! Just get away from me." Tobias snarled, and Severus ran from the table and up to his room.

Up in his room, he stared at the flies on his ceiling. He pulled out his wand and opened "Curses for Torture and Torment."

"Petrificus totalus!"

"Impedimenta!"

"Locomotor Mortis!"

"Reducto!"

He smiled as the flies reacted to his spells. He turned the page and gasped. The Unforgivable curses, there, in plain print! He'd always heard of them, but never knew how to do them. He picked up a fly that had fallen to his bed from the body-bind curse and whispered "Crucio". But nothing happened. He tried a few more times to no avail before retiring for the night.

xXxXxXxXx

The summer passed excruciatingly slowly in this way. His parents fought continuously and he spent most of his time reading and re-reading all of the books on his shelves. He rarely left his bedroom except for the chaotic dinners where Tobias would get increasingly abusive with the amount of liquor he drank. His mother was passive, submitting herself to his verbal and physical abuse, while Severus tried to escape through literature and sleep. He was very frustrated- while he knew many curses and could do them well, the Unforgivable Curses never worked for him. Every night, although he hated the thought of seeing Potter and Black again, he longed for Hogwarts so he could gain the knowledge he needed for success. He also craved privacy- although Potter and Black were at Hogwarts, he had his dorm that he could hide in. At his home he had nowhere to hide, and when he was finally on the train to go back to Hogwarts both he and his parents sighed in relief.


End file.
